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Craziest Homeowner Holiday Disaster Stories V

Crashing Elm

"Back in the late 1970s, our neighbor's tree landed on our house, very, very early Christmas morning. It was their DIY project-disaster, since the previous day they were trimming branches off a 60-foot tall pine. They cut back branches, but some landed into an old Elm tree. That night the Santa Anna winds kicked up, and the Elm couldn't take the extra weight under the gusts. Around 3 am, it crashed into our living room! To calm and distract us kids, my parents let us open our gifts at 3 am. Plus, it gave us extra time to get ready for church."